


Silence

by thorkified



Series: The Cultleader And His Boy [5]
Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cults, First Meetings, Fluff, Kid Loki (Marvel), M/M, Mute Loki, Underage - Freeform, cultleader Thor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 03:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17358443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thorkified/pseuds/thorkified
Summary: There is something about the boy, Thor knows that right away. And there's something that's missing: his voice. Loki is silent, he won't speak, but somehow, Thor doesn't really mind.





	Silence

People come and go, it's something Thor got used to. His commune is somewhat of an escape for all kinds of people, where they can find themselves and sometimes they stay, sometimes they don't. Some come for peace, those usually only stay for a while, and others come for Thor himself, because Thor has… other things to offer. They are what make people want to stay, because they have something they can’t have anywhere else: freedom.

So, given all of that, he's not surprised when it knocks on his door one evening and a young woman stands there with her two children, a young boy and a slightly older girl.

Only that they are not her children, not both at least. The girl, Darcy, is very sweet, just like her mother, who thanks Thor for allowing her to stay and the girl even hugs him because she can finally sleep in a real bed again. The boy, however, doesn't. He won't even speak, just hides behind the woman's leg and stays silent, without making eye contact.

“He never speaks,” the woman explains and rubs the boy's back. He doesn't look very comfortable with it.

“Your son?” Thor asks and she shakes her head slowly.

“I found him trying to steal something from a store and took him with me,” she says hesitantly. “I only know his name, Loki.”

“Loki…” Thor says and smiles warmly. A pretty name, perfectly fitting for such a pretty boy. He kneels down, looking at the boy, who still looks like he's about to run away any second. “You don't have to be scared anymore,” he smiles. “You're safe here.”

The boy looks wary when their eyes finally meet, but he doesn't look away. He has beautiful green eyes, big and innocent, just like the rest of him. Thor can feel a warmth spread in his stomach when he smiles at the boy, who in return hides behind the woman’s leg again. He still looks at Thor though, as if he’s some sort of fascinating creature he can’t take his eyes off, and Thor loves it. 

It’s a week before Thor sees the boy again. He’s taking a walk on the beach to distract his mind from the problems he had to deal with throughout the day when he sees the small figure in the distance. It’s Loki, sitting in the sand and resting his chin on his knees. For a while, Thor just watches him, waits if someone else will come or if the boy will leave, but nothing happens. Loki keeps sitting there, unmoving and silent, and eventually, Thor approaches him.

“Hey, Loki,” he says quietly and sits down a bit away from the boy. Loki only reacts with a tiny flinch, then he is still again. “Looks like you’re enjoying the view.”

Loki stays silent and keeps looking at the ocean and somehow, Thor finds that comforting. He relaxes and stretches his legs, following Loki’s gaze and watching the waves for a few minutes in silence.

“You found my special place here, you know?” Thor says after a while, not checking if Loki reacts or not. He hears him, that’s all that matters. “I often come here when I’m sad or need to clear my head. It’s soothing to watch the ocean.”

He wonders what happened to the boy and if his silence is something recent, or something that has always been there. Loki looks like such a sweet kid, but he also looks so utterly lost and sad. It pains Thor to see that.

“Do you like it here, Loki?” Thor asks after a few more minutes, looking at the boy. It looks like he won't react again and then, he slowly shakes his head. It's barely noticeable, but Thor sees it. ”Why not? Is anyone mean to you?”

Loki shrugs a bit at that, but that's all. No explanation, no reasoning, just silence.

Thor sighs and runs a hand through Loki's hair, not really short but not long either and with a pretty raven color. It's a gentle touch, not demanding, not angry. Just caring and affectionate.

“It's okay, kid,” he says softly. “You don't have to talk if you don't want to, sometimes it's better to just not say anything at all. I talk too much most of the time, so if I start to annoy you just poke me or something, alright?”

For the first time, Thor draws a reaction from the boy, which is a quiet chuckle into his knees. The gentle and sweet sound makes him smile.

“I'm sure you'll feel comfortable here soon,” he continues and moves his hand to the boy's back, rubbing it soothingly. Loki doesn't look like he did when his adoptive mother did the same and that, for some reason, warms Thor's heart. “Maybe you'll even make some friends, the other kids are very nice. I think you and Peter would get along well, he's a bit wild but very bright and fun to be around.”

Loki looks at him for a moment, big green eyes curious and a bit confused. Then, his lips twitch slightly, almost into a smile, before he turns his head back around to look at the waves. Thor joins him for a while, continuing to rub the boy's back because he seems to like that and not really thinking about much. Even if he'd rather have Loki speak, the silence is kind of comfortable.

“You can speak, right?” Thor finally asks and looks over at Loki, who slowly nods after a while. Thor smiles. “But you don't want to?” Loki answers by shaking his head. “Take your time then,” Thor says gently and leans over, pressing a kiss onto the boy's head. “Don't let anyone make you feel bad for not talking, okay? That's your decision and when you're ready, you'll speak. And if you want some company while watching the waves, just drop by and I'll come with you. I won't ask you to talk and I'll try to keep my mouth shut if you want silence.”

Thor sighs when Loki nods again and finally retreats his hand so he can stand up. He stretches himself a bit and turns to leave when he hears a very quiet and soft voice.

“Thank you.”

Thor's lips curl into a smile as he looks back at Loki, who still watches the waves but looks kind of relieved now. A lot less tense than before.

“You’re a good kid,” he says and can't help the gentle way he looks at Loki. He's such a sweet boy, he deserves to be happy. “If you ever need anything, you can always come to me. I won't send you away, don't worry.”

After their encounter, Loki begins to warm up. It takes time and he stays silent for over a month more, but Thor notices that he smiles sometimes and starts to be with the other kids every now and then. He's also often around Thor, which surprises him a little, but Loki is nice company. He's quiet but observant, always listens to Thor no matter what he says and even though he doesn't speak, he can communicate with him very effectively. It's a joy to be around him, really.

Often, Thor is occupied with something and Loki shows up out of nowhere. He might just sit down near Thor and watches him work, or he walks up to him, curious about what he's doing. One time, he leans his head against Thor until he pats his head and ruffles his hair, giving him the brightest smile before running off again. Thor doesn't really know what to think of that, but he likes it. Loki enjoys it when he's affectionate like that, obviously. 

The day Loki finally breaks his silence, Thor has pretty much accepted that the boy doesn't talk and got used to the silence when he's around. One of the other children got a puppy that day and everyone is gathering around the little thing, doting on it and laughing, while Thor stands a bit away from them, watching.

“I don't like dogs, they bite,” someone suddenly says and Thor chuckles amused.

“Only if they have a bad owner who doesn't know how to teach them not to,” he says and smiles. “Puppies are really cute though.”

“I like cats more.”

“Me too,” Thor grins. “They're independent and hunters, they -”

Thor is interrupted when someone suddenly takes his hand, someone small next to him. He turns around and is surprised to see Loki standing there, his tiny hand holding his own and looking at the group of people in front of them. He doesn't make the connection before Loki speaks again.

“I want a cat,” he says and leans against Thor's leg.

“W-What kind of cat?” Thor asks carefully, completely stunned and wanting the boy to continue talking.

“A black one,” Loki mumbles.

“A kitten?”

“Mhm…”

Thor squeezes the boy's hand gently and Loki turns his head to look up at him. His face is calm and sweet and when he squeezes Thor's hand back, the man feels a wave of utter affection for the boy.

“Loki…” he whispers, almost cautiously quiet. “You're speaking…”

“You said it's okay if I want to,” Loki says and tilts his head.

Thor looks at Loki completely speechless for a long moment and then picks the boy up and hugs him tight against his chest. He doesn't know why Loki speaking makes him so extremely happy, but it does. It was such a casual conversation, not forced or scared and that Loki decided to speak to him means so much.

“Thor, you are squishing me!” Loki squeals eventually and all Thor can do is laugh and hug him even more, he can't stop it.

“You did it, Loki! You're speaking again!” Thor says happily as he spins the boy around, making Loki laugh too now. It's the first time he actually hears him laugh and it's a beautiful sound, crystal clear and absolutely wonderful to his ears.

When Thor finally puts Loki back down, the boy smiles from ear to ear and his eyes are filled with pure joy. Thor takes his hand again and smiles back.

“Can we go see the puppy?” Loki asks and Thor can't help but smile even more.

“I thought you don't like dogs?”

“I don't, but I wanna see it,” Loki shrugs, making Thor laugh again.

“I think we can do that,” Thor smiles and holds Loki's hand as they walk towards the crowd.

If Loki wants to see the puppy, Thor will show him. He will do anything just so the boy is happy and the thought doesn't even come as a surprise. It feels like he knew that all along, but it took Loki speaking to make him understand.  
  



End file.
